Constraints to addressing food insecurity in protracted crises

Abstract

A substantial portion of the world's people have not made adequate progress toward overcoming hunger or achieving sustainable livelihoods. The classic approach to addressing chronic food insecurity has been a strategy of agricultural development, supplemented by humanitarian assistance in the event of a shock or crisis-an approach predicated on assumptions that do not fit the context of protracted crises. This article describes protracted crises and argues that they are sufficiently different to warrant special consideration, but there are unique constraints to engagement in protracted crises. The article explores the constraints promoting sustainable livelihoods in these contexts and proposes elements of an alternative approach. It evaluates the limited evidence available about such an approach and outlines important questions for further research.food security | chronic vulnerability | humanitarian response | transition Context of Protracted CrisesA substantial portion of the world's poorest people have not made adequate progress toward overcoming hunger or achieving sustainable livelihoods. The classic approach to addressing chronic food insecurity has been a strategy of agricultural development to improve food availability and rural livelihoods, and humanitarian assistance in the event of sporadic shocks (1). Achieving sustainable livelihoods through improving smallholder production-the general theme of this edition-is a complex task in relatively stable countries that do not suffer recurrent crises. Protracted crises present special constraints that require new scientific thinking and a different approach from current models-and are often omitted from the current debate and efforts addressing hunger. This article describes protracted crises and argues that they are sufficiently different to warrant special consideration. It analyzes these constraints and explores attempts to promote sustainable livelihoods in these contexts. Finally, it suggests elements of an alternative approach and outlines several questions for further research.Macrae and Harmer define protracted crises as "those environments in which a significant proportion of the population is acutely vulnerable to death, disease, and disruption of their livelihoods over a prolonged period of time" (ref. 2, p.

Paths of convergence for agriculture, health, and wealth

“…The articles presented in this special feature on agriculture development and nutrition security are concerned with joint value creation among key sectors (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(14)(15)(16). The proposed solution-oriented transdisciplinary approach to science, policies, and actions should support smallholder and nonsmallholder agriculture and forge rural-urban links where farm and nonfarm activities singly and jointly contribute to nutrition security for the poorest and most vulnerable.…”

“…The last paper under this theme, by Maxwell et al (9), addresses crises more broadly, focusing on the complexity of actions needed in vulnerable environments such as Haiti, Uganda, or North Korea. The protracted crises in such locations represent a challenge to the global goal of promoting gains in agricultural output, along with good health and nutrition.…”

“…The protracted crises in such locations represent a challenge to the global goal of promoting gains in agricultural output, along with good health and nutrition. Synthesizing recent research on state fragility, humanitarian principles, and institutional constraints to growth, the work by Maxwell et al (9) suggests that new evidence-based models are needed that go beyond a food and farm focus in relief and rebuilding efforts. Attention must be given to broader livelihoods that manage risk while offering new entry points into activities that link vulnerable households to market opportunities.…”

“…Furthermore, their motivations are often very different from the motivations of national governments, the international community, or private contractors, and civil-military partnerships are increasingly mobilized in such settings. The work by Maxwell et al (9) states that a rethinking of intervention modalities is crucial to effective long-term actions addressing food insecurity in a volatile world.…”

“…With one exception [the examination by Timmer (8) of the formation of smallholders' price expectations during food price crises], the papers in this feature have only partially integrated or expanded on developments in decision sciences and behavioral economics (6,7,(9)(10)(11)(12)(14)(15)(16). A deeper consideration of this knowledge is needed to provide an actionable understanding of the array of rational and less rational motives and processes driving human decision making and behavior in diverse reallife contexts (2).…”